MacBook Pro vs. MacBook Air - What Can We Expect?

Unlike iPhones, Apple updates its original product, Mac computers, on a somewhat unpredictable schedule. In May 2024, Apple introduced its latest M4 chips for a range of products. In October 2024 new MacBook Pro models using M4 chipsets debuted, and now earlier this month, M4 MacBook Air laptops were announced.

The original Mac computer was of course the Macintosh desktop, today the iMac and its related models (Mac Pro, iMac Pro, Mac mini, and Mac Studio) are its successors. Later the first MacBook laptop arrived. We focus on the two MacBook variants, as laptops have long dominated Apple computer sales.

Laptops have accounted for around 80% of total Mac sales for the past several years (Chart 1). They fell to around 70% in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, when homebound consumers shifted somewhat to desktops. Laptops hit a high of 90% in 2023.